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By 1978 Gerry Rafferty emerged from 5 years of record company litigation and his previous hit with Stealer’s Wheel - “Stuck in The Middle With You” - a distant memory. With producer Hugh Murphy he began work on what was to become the platinum-selling solo album, City

Gerry Rafferty Song facts

Composer
Gerry Rafferty

Genre
Rock

Album
City To City

Released
1978

UK Chart
3 To City. Central to its success was, of course, “Baker Street”. With its rippling celeste and yearning, understated, vocal both Rafferty and his label felt it was too enigmatic and reticent to be a single. But a groundswell of radio play, producing a huge surge of public interest, changed their minds. The reason? That saxophone riff. Urban legend has it being performed by quizmaster Bob Holness (for which we have a young Stuart Maconie to thank), but in reality the solo was performed by top sessioneer, Raphel ‘Raff’ Ravenscroft. It gave the song one of the most recognisable intros of all time and by its final return at the coda, underpinned by a swooping guitar, you knew you’d listened to one of the greatest arrangements of all time.

Other versions

Foo Fighters

  The Foo Fighters covered Baker Street on their late 90salbum 'My Hero'. A surprising choice for these American Grunge rockers.

He had this dream about buying some land............ Just brilliant and the best for me.
Lynda Lynch
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